Court of Nex
by Seijirou
Summary: Kagami enters a Virtual Reality MMORPG game only to find that the only way out is to get to the final floor and defeat the boss. However, time is short as members of the beta test/ex-guild MiraGuild plan to get there first. Let them win and stay in this world forever...or fight back and make his way out? Let's go with the latter. Based off Sword Art Online art by healingwind RPG AU
1. Log-In

**The Court of Nex**

_(AN: The concept of this game and the NerveGear are heavily based upon the light novel series __Sword Art Online__ and it's anime adaption. Many of the towns named are based off the ones in the series. However, the series' world is named AINCRAD and the game is SWORD ART ONLINE, while I used the name KOKIA and called the game COURT OF NEX. Because the concept is so heavily based on Sword Art Online, there may be some spoilers. And while much of the beginning comes from the novels, the rest, I plan, to make it centered more on the Kurobasu gang. The characters are originally of Kuroko no Basket and their RPG AU is based upon healingwind's detailed AU concepts. To learn more about the character and to view their RPG variant image, please check the links on my profile. Thank you!)_

* * *

**April 10, 2078**

To anyone who knew him, Kagami Taiga was a hardcore gamer. While he wasn't one of those "pathetic types who wait outside the game store for a new game", he spent his days in multiple worlds, randing from iPod games to Xbox servers. He had nearly all the consoles any gamer would die for, collected over the years from family and friends. Some even ranged back to the 1900's, so they were collectables that were rare. If Kagami sold his entire collection of games and systems, he would be the richest fifteen year old on the planet of Earth. Kagami Taiga had nearly every console on the face of the planet.

All except one.

He had not bought the most recent, the newest, most high-tech console there was ever to exist – the NerveGear.

From what he had seen in the commercials, the NerveGear was like a giant helmet with an internal battery. It sent signals to the player's brain so that the player's mind was engulfed into a virtual world. To be honest, Kagami didn't want it at all. So far, the only games that were compatable to the NerveGear system were some boring puzzles and a dieting program. It seemed amazing – people who used the NerveGear to diet lost weight because the system controlled the five senses while people were in the game, so while a player ate delicious foods and felt as though they really were eating in the game, they wouldn't have eaten a thing in reality. Not even the body would move if the game was working – the program didn't allow the physical body to move, in case players would injure themselves without realizing by jumping around. It was like the ultimate illusion machine, but the redhead had not any interest in it.

Until now.

Recently, the company that created the NerveGear and all of its games, KageRou Corp, had created a brand new game that attracted gamers around the world – the Court of Nex. Even though it wasn't out yet, it was currently the hottest game of the century. Normally, an MMORPG out on the markets would not earn any special attention. However, this was a KageRou MMORPG. The borderline of realism and fantasy that was the NerveGear mixed with RPG game elements was something no one – gamer or not – would want to miss out on. And it was for this reason that Kagami bought the NerveGear at the last second and had waited three days in a line for copies of Court of Nex. It was the reason why Kagami completely contradicted what he said before about gamers who would literally camp out for the sake of a tiny little chip or CD with data pressed onto it. Though he was late to the line, he bought the very last copy, leaving all the other gamers behind him thoroughly angry.

And tonight, he'd rev up the NerveGear and coordinate it to join the biggest MMORPG gathering of the century – the opening of Kokia, the world within the Court of Nex.

And tonight, he'd never log out again.

* * *

Kagami knew that everything he saw was all just numbers and data. But at the same time, he couldn't believe that simple numbers and data created such an amazing virtual world. He looked through a window of a shop and flexed his arm. He had stylized his avatar to have dark blue hair and to be a bit shorter, but still as athletic as he was in reality. He hoped it would be easier to make friends with this sort of appearance, since people were apparently scared of his appearance in real life. But besides that, he was amazing he could even be the way he was. Everything seemed so real. Despite it all just being technology at work, everything – the breeze, the NPCs, the buildings, the monsters…everything seemed real.

But…it wasn't…

"Ah, what does it matter? I get to be here, even if it's just a game anyway!" he grinned cheerfully as he turned from the window that reflected his avatar to the plaza of The Town of Beginnings. Many players were already logging in and every one of them were uncannily beautiful, thanks to the game's avatar stylization system. Some had ridiculous usernames, such as "hime-chama04" or "3971793", but others, like Kagami, had simple names they probably had used all their lives as gamers.

A few people were already creating guilds! Kagami raised an eyebrow in surprise, but he shook it off. They were probably IRL friends or online gaming friends. Something Kagami had a hard time making, because of his rashness, boldness, and when in reality, his appearance. Kagami unintentionally scared a robber once, which scared kids at his school as well. He didn't really mind though. Solo playing wasn't as fun as partying, but it wasn't as bad as others made it out to be, in his opinion. He walked past the flashes of blue that indicated teleporting and logging-on players and out of the Town of Beginnings to begin training in the monster field next to the city.

* * *

"Ah, this is somewhat irritating…" he sighed as he scratched his head of red hair. Despite having such a ridiculous hair color, the other players all had their share of strange colors, so he blended in quite nicely. The tall, red-headed avatar leaned against the wall, swiping his hands in the air and pulling up the menu bar. He wasn't showing it, but the player was a tad bit displeased at the sight of a starting pack sitting alone in the corner of his inventory. Somehow, he had faintly hoped that the items he had gathered from beta-testing would still be there. Groaning, he checked his level and stats. Seeing them made him groan louder and close the menu altogether. "Kuroko" blinked faintly next to the green HP car floating beside the player's head. He took no notice and walked on.

* * *

"Eh?" a female player leaned above the small hill she was laying on to look onward. An average-sized, blue-haired player was fighting some hogs on the other edge of the hill. She squinted her eyes and concentrated on his HP bar.

"Ka-ga-mi? What a boring username…he should stop fighting for a second and drink a potion or something, he's in the yellow zone…" she muttered to herself as she stared. She had raised her Searching and Tracking only by a few levels, so she couldn't really see beyond his name and HP bar. Quietly, she crawled closer to the player and squinted again.

"Kagami…level twelve already?!"

Oops.

She clamped her mouth shut with her hand, for she had screamed the last part aloud. Kagami, who had finally killed off another boar and it burst into sparkling hexagonal shards, turned around at the sound and caught sight of the girl.

"Who are you? And how do you know my level?!"

She choked, "Dude, you're displaying your level a little too obviously. How else would I know your level?"

"Eh?! I thought I hid the level a while ago!"

"You must've hit the wrong button or something," she snorted. "Anyway, nice going! The game's only begun about half an hour ago and you're already on level twelve!"

Kagami gave a snort in return, "It's not like it's that hard. When you're beginning, leveling up is easier than anything else in the game."

"Eh? That might be true, but considering that this is supposed to be an MMO, how come you're all alone? Most people are out there socializing right now, which is why they're still stuck at level five."

He clicked his tongue, "I came here to play Court of Nex, not to gossip."

She gave a large grin and chuckled, "A serious gamer! I like you! I'm Riko!" Riko stuck out her hand, "I plan to become a Rapier-Wielder, but that's only to protect. I'm going to be the strategist in my guild!"

"I'm Kagami. I don't know what I'm going to be…but a strategist?" Kagami frowned as he shook her hand, "Is there even a class like that?"

"Nope. But my power lies more in my mind than in my physical skill, so I'm more of the background coach kinda guy!" the talkative girl paused for a second then asked, "Wanna join our guild?"

His blue-headed avatar raised a brow, "Why?"

"Well, why not?" the pink-haired girl frowned. "Won't it be fun?"

"Eh…I dunno," Kagami shrugged. He wasn't very used to fighting in a group.

Riko smiled and shook her hand, "If you don't want to, that's fine! Just remember us! Seirin takes in serious gamers! There are too many happy-go-lucky ones around here, so it's rare to find someone like you!"

"Ah…alright. I'll think of it," he replied, scratching the back of his head. She gave him one last smile before turning around.

"It's already 8:29 PM?!" she exclaimed, "Aw, I'll miss dinner! I should log off now!"

"Sure then!" Kagami waved, "See ya around!"

"Ah, wait, lemme friend you!" she said as she pressed a few buttons on the menu chart. A friend request popped up at Kagami's end of the system. Without thinking twice, he pressed the yes button.

"Well, hope ta see you around, Bakagami!"

"Hey!" he snapped as she laughed. He shrugged it off before heading back, planning to go further into the fields and hope for bigger monsters to attack before she heard a small shriek emit from Riko's mouth. "What's the matter?"

"…The exit button…it's not there!" she cried as she quickly went through her entire menu selection.

"Eh? What're you talking about?" the blue-haired avatar that was Kagami asked as he opened his own menu. "It's right the…."

It was gone.

The familiar orange button that was labeled "Exit" wasn't at the end of the menu anymore.

"Maybe it's a glitch?" he suggested.

"Aw damn, I was going to have pizza with my dad today too!" Riko groaned.

Kagami growled as he fumbled with the menu screen. Finally, he sighed and switched the menu off. "Hey, Riko, I-"

"What's that?!" Riko cut him off, silencing him.

There was a quiet hollow sound that filled the gamers' ears. It was unsettling.

"Isn't that the sound that happens before you tele-"

Before either of them could react, a flash of blue appeared before their eyes and they disappeared from the meadows. The area was silent once again.

* * *

"This wasn't in the beta test," was all Kuroko could think as he was whisked back to the plaza of the Town of Beginnings. He leaned against the wall as he observed the other players forcefully being teleported to the same location. Some panicked, others were calmer.

"This is part of the opening ceremony…right?" he overheard another player stammer nervously.

Oh, that was a good conclusion. "It's part of the opening ceremony." Kuroko wondered why he hadn't thought of that himself. Anyway, there must be a logical explanation to this. He himself had been leveling up his stealth and tracking skills, since his fighting style centered on those. Glancing to his left, the red-headed avatar he played as was glaring at a familiar character.

Ah, it was so very like him to keep the same character image as the one he used during the beta test, though his clothes and equipment were mediocre at the moment. Kuroko shuffled aside, hoping he wouldn't notice him. In fact, Kuroko had purposely changed his character appearance so he would not be found by that familiar person, or any of the ones they had associated with in the beta. It was certain that they would not forgive him for what he had done. And despite his usual method of being completely honest and forward, Kuroko wasn't ready to face them. He had to prepare himself. It was still too soon.

Despite his best attempts to blend in with the crowd, the appearance he had chosen was a few inches taller than those who had chosen a more common height, so he stood out quite a bit. He mentally hit himself for not leveling up Stealth Skill any higher. He could probably use that gift he had received for being a beta tester, but not yet. If he used it and at that time, the familiar one turned around and saw, he would be instantly recognized. Cursing himself, he slipped through the crowd to stand at another side. Of course, there too would be another familiar player. Cursing again, Kuroko was about to make his way to another side of the gigantic plaza. However, he didn't need to. Everyone's attention was directed to the sky.

"Look!" someone cried.

Simultaneously, the crowd of at least ten thousand players obeyed and shouted at a small hexagonal shape in the color of deep red.

"_Warning"_

"_Warning"_

"_Warning Warning Warning Warning Warning Warning Warning Warning"_

More of the similar warning signs appeared, turning the orange sunset sky into a bright, nerve-racking scarlet.

"What's going on?"

"How is this a part of the opening ceremony?"

"Is it a bug?"

* * *

Kagami and Riko stared at the sky, filled with that eerie Warning sign.

"Riko!"

The duo turned at the voice to see four other characters with brightly colored hair and similar basic equipment and clothing.

"Hyuuga!" she cried, running over to the group. "You guys okay? What's going on?"

"No clue," Koganei shrugged. "We just got here! Who's your friend, by the way?"

Riko turned around to face a very confused Kagami, "Oh, this is a new gem I found! His name's Kagami! What was your level again, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Huh?" he frowned in an even more confused look before his look turned into realization. "Sorry, I forgot I disabled the public viewing on my level. Twelve at the moment. You?"

"Sixteen, noob," the guy called Hyuuga grinned, "Koganei is at thirteen, Mitobe here is at fifteen, Tsuchida's at fourteen, and Izuki was workin' on leveling up his skills more than levels, so he's stuck at ten right now."

Izuki gave a shy grin, "I'm getting a run-down feeling just from thinking about how low of a level I am at the moment…Run-down feeling…"

He took out a small notebook and scribbled as he mumbled, "I should avoid that run-down feeling by looking both ways before crossing the street…"

Hyuuga tried to punch his head, but purple sparks appeared and the poor guy was saved by the rules of the Safe Area.

"This guy's always making stupid puns…we're the newbie guild, Seirin, by the way," Riko sighed.

"Oh, so you're the guild Riko was talking about…nice to meetcha. Do you know when the ceremony will be over? I have stuff to do…" Kagami scratched the back of his head.

They shrugged, "Don't ask me, I didn't plan any of this. Anyway, it shouldn't be long, so just relax."

"How could I relax when there's a bunch of error Warning signs in the sky…" he thought impatiently as players began to scream.

A dark red liquid was leaking from the cracks of the many-layered errors in displayed in the sky. It was horribly ominous for an opening ceremony of a cheerful VRMMORPG, but no one seemed to notice. The thick liquid blended together and from the mass was an enlarged hooded figure that towered over the multitudes of players who stood, watching.

"What, it's only a game master?"

"What's this about?"

"Where's his face?"

It wore the hood of a GM, yet unlike those Kagami had seen in magazines and reviews written by beta testers, the person's face was not visible.

"Greetings," the figure's voice was distorted electronically, making him or her sound demented and strange. "My name is Tsukuko Royate. Welcome to the Court of Nex."

Riko and Kagami visibly flinched at the name. The female player, who had a habit of collecting as much information as she could before jumping into something, and the game freak who endlessly attempted to satisfy his lust over the game before he was able to purchase it, had both poured themselves over magazines and news articles about anything related to KageRou Corp prior to playing the game. Tsukuko Royate was the creator of the NerveGear and the director of the KageRou Corp who had programmed much of Court of Nex on his own. Everyone regarded him as a genius. However, he was told to be eccentric, rarely coming into the office and never showing his face to the public.

A faceless hooded figure was ironically suitable to a faceless prodigy.

"As you have already noticed, the Log Out button is no longer on the end of your Menu Selection. This is not a bug. This is not a defect. This is a function supported by Court of Nex."

"What?"

"How the hell is this not a bug?"

"Is he fuckin' retarded?!"

"Until you reach the top of the castle that is the land of Kokia…and defeat the 100th floor, you cannot log out."

"What?!"

"This bastard…Let's go!"

Kagami directed his eyes to a couple who attempted to leave the plaza, only to be knocked back in. They complained and screamed obnoxiously, demanding to know what was going on.

"Also, let it be known that disrupting or dismantling of the NerveGear is forbidden. If any of those actions are to be taken outside of the game…"

A haunting silence.

"The signal sensors in your NerveGear will emit a strong electromagnetic pulse, destroying your brain and stopping all of your basic functions."

The silence lasted for about five seconds before more complaints were burst out.

"That's ridiculous!"

"What kind of bullshit is this?"

"Cut him off!"

"Hey…that isn't possible, right?" the blue-haired avatar that was Kagami asked nervously to the guild and it's leader.

Riko tapped her chin in deep thought before replying solemnly, "...Theoretically, it's possible, but... he must be bluffing. Because if we pull the plug on the NerveGear, there's no way it can emit a strong pulse of that type. Unless there's some form of battery with a huge storage capability inside-"

She paused.

"The battery!" Kagami exclaimed, "That shit has an internal battery!"

Everyone grit their teeth anxiously. So far, all of what Royate had said wasn't technically false."

Over the waves of complaints and anger, he went on, "Disruption or dismantling of the NerveGear outside of the game will cause a death, both in the game and in reality. The government already knows of this. Needless to say, many will not be touching your headgears for a very long time…regretfully, 213 players, whose family and friends attempted to force it off, have already disappeared. They will not be returning ever again."

Kagami visibly paled. He lived alone, thankfully, since his parents were in America at the moment, but what about everybody else?

Would they die because of a mistake their loved ones made out of foolishness?

"What is this?! I sure as hell didn't pay for this shit!"

"Stop messing with us, Royate!"

"The media has confirmed these deaths and the causes of it, so the danger of having your headgear forced off has been dispelled. However, there are other ways to die."

Riko was shaking violently at this point. All of his theories were correct, and no matter how much she used her amazing brainpower, she could not think of a counterargument which would prove Royate wrong. Hyuuga, without thinking, instinctively held her with an arm and rubbed her shoulder, as though he knew it would help calm her down. She started taking deep breaths and her trembling ceased.

"From this point on, Court of Nex is no longer a simple game. It is a second reality, as to say. All forms of revival are nullified."

This time, Kagami gave a shout.

"What?! The point of an RPG game is to die and level up while taking quests! Quests require risks that could lead to a player death!"

Shouts of agreement echoed throughout the plaza.

"Your HP is your life force," he continued, as though he hadn't heard the blue-haired avatar shout in dismay. "Once your HP bar hits the 0, it's all over. Your avatar will disappear. And at the same time…"

Everyone held their breath.

"The NerveGear will instantly destroy your brain."

Absolute silence. Not even Kagami had the will to scream and shout.

"The only way to escape this death game is to reach the 100th floor of Kokia and defeat the final boss. Once the final boss has been defeated, the game will end and the first guild, or solo player, to reach the top and beat the game will log out. The rest will stay in Kokia forever."

"Forever?!"

"100 floors…?!"

100 floors…

100 floors were a lot.

Even in MMORPG games Kagami had played prior to Court of Nex had led him to character death at least fifty times. He remembered dying constantly during training for the next boss.

There was no way he could do this.

"Then I will show you evidence that this is the only reality. In your inventories, there will be a gift from me."

A gift…?

Everyone unfroze in hopes that this gift would somehow make everything better. The level twelve player opened his own inventory and found the "gift".

"…Mirror of Reality…?"

The object's name didn't comfort Kagami as he hoped it would've. Selecting it from the inventory menu, he pressed "Open". The item appeared from thin air in a flash of blue and Kagami caught it before it could fall and break.

It wasn't very special. It was a simple hand mirror. He frowned in confusion, staring at the blue-haired avatar that reflected back at him.

"Kaga-"

Hyuuga took a sharp breath of air as white light surrounded players. Koganei and Tsuchida were panicking while Mitobe, Izuki, and Hyuuga himself just seemed surprised.

Kagami's initial thought was that they were being forcefully teleported somewhere again, before he realized that the light that shone around their avatars when teleporting were blue, not white. He too was engulfed in white and gave a yelp as the light blinded his eyes.

Kagami clamped his mouth shut and opened his eyes once the light faded away. Groaning, he shook his head to attempt to get rid of the dark spots that dotted his sight of vision, thanks to the blinding of the light. Once his vision returned to normal, he audibly gasped at the sight. The large group of handsome and beautiful avatars with unrealistically beautiful bodies had been replaced with average, dull faces and wider, more realistic body types.

"You're a guy?!"

"And I thought you said you were seventeen!"

He bit his lip as he raised the mirror again.

Instead of the cool blue-haired, yellow-eyed avatar with the delicate handsome body he had set for himself, a tall, muscular red-head with red-brown eyes stared back at him. His eyes widened and he dropped the mirror in shock. It crashed into the ground and dissolved into hexagonal shards.

It wasn't as though he didn't like his face and body type. In fact, he was rather proud, considering that he wanted to be strong so that he could play basketball as best he could, during the times he wasn't playing RPGs. But it was because he was so tall and muscular and had a mean face that Kagami had an excruciatingly hard time trying to make friends. Everyone was just scared of him. By crafting an average body with a fair face, he thought it would be easier to talk to people that way.

Well, so much for that idea.

Riko groaned audibly as the mirror dissolved in her hands. "Aw shit, that just ruins the fun!"

He couldn't help but give a small laugh at how much the girl didn't seem to care that she no longer had pink hair and large breasts. She was actually rather cute, with short brown hair and a thin body, but he would never tell her that.

Hyuuga turned out not to be a purple-haired hottie, but a simple guy who needed glasses. Izuki was rather good looking with silver eyes, but he still made stupid puns, the newest one being about a mirror, so the image that he was a cool guy was immediately cancelled out. Mitobe was a gentle giant, Tsuchida looked friendly, and Koganei had a funny looking face that he didn't seem to mind very much. They all gave a gasp at Kagami's fierce appearance and he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"You didn't tell me you were a damn jock!" Riko grinned.

Hyuuga looked thoroughly annoyed.

As did all the other players who had purposely made their avatars extremely beautiful and had been reduced to their actual appearance. Especially the ones who were male and made their avatars females.

"But how is this possible…?" Riko tapped her chin again in thought. "The NerveGear covers the head, but how would it know our body types?"

"Ah, I set up my NerveGear just a few hours ago, so I know this!" the red-headed player said. "The thing has that calibration thing where you had to do these exercises like touching your toes and stuff so it would have all your body-type info!"

"Ah!" they all cried in unison at the realization.

"And now, this is definitely reality. This has been the official tutorial for Court of Nex. Welcome to Kokia. Players, I wish you all good luck."

And without another word, without reason or an explanation, the giant hooded figure that was Royate shattered into hexagonal fragments and scattered into the wind. The Warnings faded and the sky was black and shone with stars. A single, mysterious looking large moon swept over them all.

A long silence was penetrated by screams and shouts of disbelief.

"I have a meeting after this!"

"This better as hell be a joke!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"Let me out…let me out!"

The plaza burst into chaotic rage as players pushed and shoved each other as though if they made it to where Royate once stood, he would appear again and offer an explanation to this situation.

It took a while, but reality finally hit Kagami when he went back to his menu selection.

He would never return to reality ever again.

No more school, no more basketball, no more mother and father.

It was just him and a sword.

And the only way out

was up.

* * *

**End of Chapter 1: Log-in.**

_(AN: I haven't written anything creative in a very long time...essays and letters are dreadful...forgive me for any inconsistencies or errors. It is unedited. Thank you for reading!)_


	2. Creature of Fire

**The Court of Nex**

_(AN: Wow, thank you for taking interest in reading this! By the way, I don't think I made it very clear in the first chapter, but as of now, the characters are in extremely basic equipment. That is to say, Kagami isn't in the bodysuit that is portrayed by healingwind's art yet. They're still very low in level, so they can't afford luxuries like that. In a lot of RPG games, such items are restricted to use unless a level requirement is met. So when they piece together their current outfits and weapons, I'll try to make it clearer! Also, please keep in mind that everyone is still low-leveled, so if I called Hyuuga a magician or Kiyoshi a knight, that is because they haven't reached their full potential yet (a Wizard and Paladin). These two are just examples. Again, when their titles change, I'll try to inform you. Thank you!_)

* * *

**Chapter 2: Creature of Fire**

**Month of Blooming 24, 2078 **

**(May) **

**First Floor, Majimak Town**

* * *

Yawning, Kagami stretched his arms towards the ceiling. Of course, he didn't feel any discomfort and didn't really have the need to stretch after sleeping, but it was a habit he planned to keep with him, virtual reality or not. A notification in the shape of an envelope with a small number two written on it popped up in the corner of his vision. Cocking his head, he selected and opened it. Friend-Messages from Hyuuga and Riko.

"We're going to go look for the first floor boss again after training. Are you going to come? –Hyuuga"

"Dude, you've skipped out on us at least three times man. You better come to this next meeting! We're going to collaborate with some other guilds this time. I hear they got information on the First Floor Boss. We're a guild, don't ignore your teammates!–Riko"

Oh yeah, he had joined Seirin. Kagami may or may not have forgotten about that. As someone who had soloed and partied only for a quest or two, this was a new experience for him. He had been in Seirin for a month now, yet he couldn't think of how he could help in a guild that seemed so familiar with each other. Basically, he was just awkward as hell and he knew it. He had gotten more comfortable with them, but he just felt a bit out of place amongst people who were so friendly with each other.

Everyone was two months into the game and they still hadn't moved up a floor. Majority of the beta-players had been cut off, being part of the 213 who had died while someone tried to remove their NerveGear and those who were still alive wouldn't say. Kagami inferred that they knew jack shit.

But during the times where they weren't looking for the boss room, Riko put them through harsh training. Though they were still behind, since this training had started only a few short weeks ago while other guilds had started since Day 1, they were speeding through the ranks. Kagami had just entered level 24, thanks to their Strategist's guide. While Riko was learning the basics of the rapier, she improved on her other skills, such as Detection, Tracking, and most of all, Cooking. The other guild members begged for her to learn how to cook. Apparently, they were all IRL friends who went to the same school and were very familiar with the female player's cooking abilities. Kagami too worked on that with Riko, on days he was tired from training. Unfortunately, she was struggling in the basics while Kagami flashed through the levels of Cooking Skill. So for the past month, the red-headed player was the guild's cook.

He had been avoiding the guild recently. Three days ago, he found an egg in his inventory. Not like, a chicken egg. It just was labeled "Egg". He tried cooking it, only to find that it was not compatible to the Skill. He did a bit of poking around in the Info List that updated whenever players reported something new and learned that there was apparently a special item that only one player would be able to get called "The Creature of Fire". The item was randomly placed into one player's inventory. These kinds of random gifts would happen only once every year, apparently, so many were going around, searching and hoping. Kagami wasn't very sure, but considering that there was no news about a random egg drop in inventories, he assumed the egg was "The Creature of Fire".

But being the idiot he was, Kagami had no idea what the hell he was supposed to do with it. Was he supposed to cuddle up with it and warm it until it hatches or something? He had laid the egg in his hands for a while, trying to guess how to make the thing hatch.

Not even a slight vibration came from the egg.

Sighing, he put it back in his inventory and reequipped his casual clothes for his battle armor and equipped his lance. Three days was enough time. If the damn thing didn't hatch already, it could stay in his inventory for all eternity, for all he cared. Maybe it wasn't even the "Creature of Fire". Maybe he just wasn't high enough a level in Cooking to cook the damn thing.

Whatever. He was going out today. Riko would beat his ass down to 1 HP and take all his Health Potions away if he didn't.

After tracking where the guild was at the moment, he closed his menu and left the inn.

* * *

"Bakagami!" Riko called as she waved. "Over here you dumbass!"

The red-headed lance user bit back a groan as he walked over to where his guild was sitting in the seats of the mini-arena. "Don't call me that, dammit! …Uh, please!"

"Hey, where were you all these three days, man?" Tsuchida asked, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "You aren't having secret meetings with other guilds, are you?"

"Of course not!" he snapped. "I can barely stand one, much less two!"

Kagami was again saved by the Safe Area rule, the rule that made sure no players could get hurt in certain towns, from Riko's deadly roundhouse kick.

"Okay, okay guys! Settle down!" a player at the center of the arena stood, motioning for everyone to sit and quiet.

He frowned. "Who's that?"

"…That's…oh my god!" Seirin all stood up, save for Kagami, and shouted. "Kiyoshi!"

"…Huh?" he raised an eyebrow.

The player up front with caramel hair and kind looking eyes grinned. "Hey guys! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

The other guilds appeared to be a tad annoyed, so Seirin reluctantly sat back down again. Riko immediately sent him a Friend Request, to which "Kiyoshi" accepted.

"My friends and I will catch up later!" he grinned. "Now then, let's get down to business! We've been playing on the First Floor for about two months now, right? Isn't there anyone who knows anything about the Boss Room?"

There were a total of four guilds and a handful of solo players at the meeting, which wasn't bad, considering how little cooperation was presented by everyone nowadays. Everyone conversed, talking about strange areas they had encountered and oddly shaped hills and the sort. Though they weren't exactly getting anywhere on the topic of the location of the room, everyone was participating and active, something that made Kagami smile a bit. He chatted freely with a few solo players who suggested that the fields he had trained in could have been a clue. While he himself thought everyone was looking too deeply into it, he couldn't help but go along with it.

"Hey, what do you think?" he asked a hooded player.

The player shook her head. "What level are you?"

"…What?"

It was considered a bit rude for people who were complete strangers to ask of each other's stats. Though he thought it was kind of stupid, he could understand why – this game put everyone against each other. No one could afford to hand out their personal info on a silver platter.

"What level are you?" she repeated in a low voice.

Kagami frowned. "How could I tell you my level when you won't even show your face?"

Other than her pale hand which gripped the cloak by the neck and his lips, no other part of her body was visible. He couldn't even tell whether the damn person was a boy or a girl, he just assumed Kuroko was a girl by the small and thin figure which hunched over, as though she were scared of something.

"Are you reliable, I wonder?" she muttered to herself as she clutched the cloak tighter, the hood shielding her eyes.

"Huh…?" he raised an eyebrow.

Before he could question her odd remark, a shout echoed throughout the arena as a player jumped from his seat at the top and onto the center, where Kiyoshi stood, conversing with the Seirin gang about potential boss areas. The player, a long-handed sword and shield user, grit his teeth and pointed at the crowd who sat watching in confusion.

"It's great that we're all working together and all now, but some of you still have shit to fess up!"

"Fess up…?"

The crowd murmured in further confusion, as though the random obnoxious player in front of them were speaking a different language.

"Hell yeah, fess up! The beta players!"

"Oh," Kagami slumped in his seat a bit. "So it's about that again."

"The beta players got to have a taste of what this game was like for a whole half year! So they've been hunting in all the good spots, leveling up quickly, taking all the rare items, and leaving us with their scraps! After that announcement two months ago, they just went ahead and did as they pleased, leaving behind thousands of newbies who didn't know jack shit! And it was because of them, at least a thousand lives are gone!" he screamed as he flailed his arms dramatically.

The red-headed lance user gave a loud yawn, as though he had heard this countless times.

Which he had.

Yes, he could understand how serious it was to lose so many lives to a game. But really, blaming it on the beta testers, the thought, was not very good of an idea. While he did dislike beta players a bit for their experience, he couldn't see how this guy was making a point. Court of Nex was a game in which only one group would escape from. It was only natural for beta players to fend for themselves. Even for someone as thick-headed as Kagami, it was an obvious move. Yet many players seemed to be convinced that all the beta testers were evil vicious villains or something.

Kagami cracked his neck and leaned on the bottom of the second set of seats. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the mysterious player tensing. He didn't question her, though, for Kiyoshi started to speak.

"So…what do you want to do about this?" he asked cautiously.

"I want every beta player in this group right now to come down, apologize on their knees for the lives they've cost, and to give up their money and items!" he demanded.

Kagami groaned aloud. This guy was not only being obnoxious, he was also being a rude little bastard. He was starting to get irritated now.

Kiyoshi breathed out a long sigh. "Hey, man, that isn't cool at all. Beta players are players too. Being harsh with them like this will only cause more hate on both sides."

His given response was a snarl.

The caramel haired player rubbed his forehead as though he were irritated, though a worried look was still plastered onto his face. "So you're telling me that it's the beta-players' fault for the people who've died because they had access to more information than the average player?"

"Hell yes that's what I'm talking about!"

Kiyoshi simply shook his head as he opened his menu bar and manifested a small booklet into his hands. Holding it up, his loud voice boomed through the arena. "Everyone, do you have this? It's a starting manual, an item that was free in the NPC shops."

Everyone slowly nodded, including Kagami and the rude snot standing next to Kiyoshi.

"Well, it isn't commonly known, but this manual was written by all the beta-players. So everyone has had access to the same information they've had. No one can really say the beta-players have had an upper hand in terms of info. Plus, before this game was declared as some sort of death battle, many beta players assisted the ones who wanted to seriously play the game. However, many simply stood around at the plaza in the Town of Beginnings, simply socializing."

"Hey, wait a second!" another player in the stands called out. "How were we supposed to know this was supposed to end up the way it did?!"

"Well, that's no one's fault but Royate's. Even so, despite being called an MMO, this is still a game. The purpose of a game is to play and have a good time. Many got the 'good time' part, just not the 'play' one," Kiyoshi shrugged. He turned back to the player next to him. "Any other complaints? You should voice them now, so it doesn't cause problems later in the future."

He stuttered a bit before pouting and slamming himself back down onto the closest seat. Kagami grimaced. That was totally uncute.

"Well, then, now that we got that done, let's move on," Kiyoshi grinned. "It's getting rather late and I'm sure everyone has things to do before bed, so we'll end it here. This meeting actually went pretty well! Nice job, guys!"

Many smiled back genuinely, as he went on.

"Could you all ask around for more clues? I think we might be getting closer! Oh, and if you could recruit other people, that would be pretty cool too! We could form a giant guild! Ah, but you don't have to if you don't! Let's meet here again, same time tomorrow. See ya!" the teen waved his hands and dismissed the group. A few of the solo players stood up to leave while small guilds either broke off to get dinner or to stick around and talk a bit more. Kagami stood up and stretched his arms as though he had woken up from a long nap and grinned.

"Ah, I was never good at staying quiet for too long!" he shouted as he placed his hands on his hips and turned over to the player who sat stiffly next to him. "Hey, you can get up now."

Slowly and reluctantly, the player stood up. Kagami got a better look at her height and finally remembered he could at least check her username. But before he could take a close look, she spoke, this time, more loudly.

"Hello. I'm sorry, I was rather rude before, wasn't I?" a husky, boy-ish voice said. "I'm sorry, I must appear really strange right now. But until we get at least past the First Floor, I'm afraid I have to don this cloak for a while, so please bear with me until then."

"O-oh…" he hadn't expected such polite speech. "That's fine then. What's the cloak for?"

"I'm currently hiding from certain people," she replied simply, but firmly, as though she didn't want him to continue on the subject. "Anyhow…I will rephrase my question much more politely, considering how rude it was for me to ask you rightaway what level your level was. Rather than your level at the current moment, what are your strengths and the like? I'm curious. Not many people lazily sit around the way you do."

Kagami could hear a small smile in her voice and smiled too. "Ehh…would it be safe for me to tell you that, when you won't tell me anything about yourself?"

"Ah, then how about we make this deal? I will temp. party with you and travel with you for a short period of time and judge your strength myself. At the same time, you will know of my name and perhaps of what I am able to do. I can't say I'm a very good player, though," she suggested.

Without a second thought, he nodded. "Sure, it doesn't sound like it'll cause any harm."

She released a small, frail-looking pale hand from the cloak she had hidden in and sent Kagami a Temporary Party request, already filled out.

A Temporary Party request. Kagami realized that this might be the first time he had ever received one in this game. Normally, these requests, an invitation to team up with another person until a small goal (like a miniquest) is fulfilled, were the only kinds he received in other games. But he had partied with Seirin since the very beginning and since he was part of a guild, no one ever sent him temp. party requests anymore. He didn't particularly mind, but receiving one was a returned him to a state of nostalgia.

Before he read the description.

"KUROKO would like to TEMPORARY PARTY with you! DESCRIPTION: I shall team with Kagami until I am able to judge whether he is a player worthy of my time."

"D-dude, that's harsh!" he choked out.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I have a bad habit of being somewhat blunt at times," Kuroko said in a voice that didn't sound very sorry. Nevertheless, Kagami accepted the request.

"Ah," Kuroko said softly. "You were already in a guild? I apologize, now I am intruding even more…"

"Oh!"

On Kagami's end of the partying, a scroll-down list of his party members were listed with their HP status, so he was used to it, but Kuroko, by partying with him, had the long list that lay under Kagami's name, as well. As Kuroko collapsed the list and scrolled around, the redhead noticed that a certain member named KIYOSHI was added to the party list and laughed. "Oh yeah, sorry about that. I should've told you before. Since it's a Temp. Party and all, I'm sure the others wouldn't mind…"

"Don't worry about it," Kuroko nodded, pulling the hood further down his eyes. "Well, nice meeting you, Kagami. I'll see you tomorrow at the next meeting."

"Don't you want to meet the rest of my guild?" he asked. "The leader could use another friend who is a girl."

The small body flinched violently. "W-what?! A-a-a girl?!"

"Hm? Yeah, our leader's a girl-"

"No, that's not what I meant! Yo-you think I'm…!" a petite hand clamped over Kuroko's mouth.

"Wh…wait…you aren't a girl?!" he pointed accusingly. "But you totally have a girl's build!"

Kagami was saved by the Safe Area rule.

* * *

"We found the Boss Room!" a guild proudly declared the next day.

Kagami was too scared to even turn around and give them a surprised and impressed look. Riko, who was unable to beat him up in a Safe Area and didn't want to risk having an orange cursor* that signified that she was a criminal who attacked other players outside of the Safe Area, had forced him to strip down to his underwear and run laps around the town for partying with a player without her consent.

Kuroko, however, had not shown up to this meeting, and Kagami couldn't find him on his radar, something that was incredibly worrying, because the only reason as to why friends couldn't be tracked was because they were dead. However, Kuroko hadn't disappeared from his friend's list under his vision HP bar*, which confused the gang even more.

"What is he, a phantom?" Kagami grumbled as the guild explained how they found the Boss Room and where it was exactly located.

Inevitably, the entire group of guilds altogether voted on going there right away, instead of waiting, preparing, and maybe even informing others of where the room was. Blood pumping, Kagami followed the crowd, led by Kiyoshi and the guild that had found the room, to his next battle.

* * *

"Alright, guys! We've finally made it, thanks to the Blue Moon Guild!" the cheerful leader smiled at the front of the gates. His face hardened as his tone turned more serious. "At this level, no one can afford the Teleport Crystals that are estimated to be a common item when we reach Floor Five. So this is really risky. From what we've gathered from the starter manual, the Boss inside is "The Deadbull" *and uses a two-handed ax. Once we enter, the doors will close and we won't be let out again…are we really ready for this?"

Kagami shuffled uncomfortably. While he really liked battling and all, he always had a safe net or an escape ready in case something didn't go quite right. But in a Boss Room…it seemed so very dangerous. It was do or die.

But he wasn't about to wuss out now. Swallowing his fear, he watched as Kiyoshi slowly opened the tall creaking wooden doors and entered. As soon as everyone made their way inside, the doors slammed quickly, too quickly for doors as heavy as those. Kagami gulped nervously as he equipped his starter lance in his right hand.

"What are you so nervous about? I'll back you up, so don't worry."

"W-whoa!" Kagami yelped at the sudden familiar voice. "K-Kuroko, what the hell man?!"

"Kuroko?!" Riko screeched. "Where?! Where's the asshole who seduced our Vanguard-"

"Riko!" the redhead shrieked.

Before they could all calm down, more trouble appeared. The floor beneath them rumbled ominously. Kiyoshi gripped his ax, motioning for everyone to stand back. Kagami nearly shrieked again, this time, on a higher octave, when a monstrous blue creature that was at least ten meters tall and had the head of a bull roared violently, bearing it's two equally gigantic axes. In horror, he looked up to read the creature's name.

"The Deadbull".

Yep, that was the one.

In sudden panic, people began to run back to the door, as though it would open if they screamed for long enough. Kiyoshi held his ground and raised his sword as The Deadbull landed his first blow. It scrapped against his sword, sparks flying dangerously. Kagami flinched as he saw Kiyoshi's HP bar lower.

"Kagami, aren't you going to attack as well?" Kuroko questioned as he slumped onto his rear, leaning against the wall and watching the entire spectacle.

"D-dude, do you fucking see this?!" he screamed in reply as Kiyoshi barely dodged the Boss's next attack.

"His attack patterns are rather simple, actually," he waved his hand carelessly. "If you watch carefully enough, you'll notice it too. Kiyoshi is already onto it. The Deadbull swings his ax thrice horizontally, then twice vertically. First time he swings down is to your left, and the second time is to your right. Every three times he completes swinging horizontally and vertically, he uses an Active Skill, 'Battle Cry'."

"Jesus fucking Christ, Kuroko, I don't have time to think of all that shit!"

"Don't think," Kuroko replied firmly. "Just let your body guide you. It will feel as though the system detects you using an Active Skill, but it's just you."

"Wow fucking thanks for that cryptic piece of advice, man! Four stars and two enthusiastic thumbs up to you!" Kagami snapped as Hyuuga slipped pass The Deadbull and landed a faint blow on it.

"I'll back you up, so don't worry!" his temporary teammate urged.

Screaming as though he had nothing to lose when he had everything to lose, Kagami charged straight into battle.

"Bakagami, don't fucking come in without warning!" Riko shrieked.

It was too late to do anything, though. The Vanguard, disregarding Seirin's use of tactics and form, jumped right in and landed a heavy blow on The Deadbull. The monster roared furiously, drawing back for a split second, and then striking back down onto Kagami.

Kuroko's eyes widened. "Kagami!"

He watched as his teammate's body flared a deep wound's red. Though no blood had spilled and Kagami technically couldn't feel pain, his HP dropped dangerously to the red zone. This was when Kuroko stood up and sprinted to Kagami's side, running past his physical capabilities.

"Kagami!"

* * *

He was so sure it was over now. He was going to die. His stupidity had cost him his fucking life. If he lived, Riko would probably Player-Kill him anyway, even at the cost of her having a red cursor.

But whatever god was out there seemed to be friendly today. Bright white sparks flew in front of his vision and a cloak fell onto his body. Kagami's widened.

"Kuroko!"

The boy's cloak had ripped off now. There stood his mysterious teammate, wearing a causal set of clothes, boots, and calming light blue hair. He was very small and petite, which would explain why Kagami mistook him for a female, but a closer look would reveal boyish traits. A sweep of light blue hair fell over his similarly light blue eyes as he held his ground against the ax of The Deadbull with a long, slender, elegant staff.

"You two idiots!" Riko screamed as she made quick strikes at the boss with her simple rapier, distracting the monster long enough for Kuroko to push back. Confused, the monster went after the gathering of players, where Seirin stood, rather than Kuroko and Kagami.

Dazed, Kuroko dropped to his knees. Because he had exceeded his strength and speed limit, his HP had dropped by a quarter. Giving the redheaded idiot a sharp, angry-looking glance, he raised his hands over where Kagami's wounds were and chanted softly, after quickly drinking a potion that raised his HP back to full. A dim blue light glowed and the red slash mark faded slowly. In his Vision HP bar, he could see his HP returning to the green-zone and Kuroko's own HP bar descending into the red, followed by the MP* level. His blue-headed companion took another whisk of potion and finished the spell, leaving Kagami with full HP.

"…Holy shit, Kuroko-"

"Yes, yes, there's a lot to explain at the moment," he said in an annoyed tone as he grabbed his cloak and wrapped it around his petite form. "Now get out there and beat the boss, I can only heal you so many times. Next time, stock up on Potions!"

The offense fighter flinched. "Y-yes, sir!"

As Kagami got back up on his feet and worked to destroy the enemy, Kuroko slid back down and gasped, as though he had run a marathon. In this game, no one felt "pain", but instead felt a "rebound". It was as though their ability to hurt had lessened dramatically. Even so, the healer's heart hurt tremendously, a price for being able to keep his magic stats.

Ah, it had been too long since he had healed someone, especially of such large proportions. With another breath, his head crashed onto the ground, too weak to hold himself up any longer. No one took notice, however.

No one ever noticed.

He took in large gasps of air at once, attempting to calm himself down as he watched the battle continue. As the monster's HP lowered into the yellow range, Kuroko flinched violently.

The atmosphere was different.

This beast…

Instead of striking back down, it let out a great roar that shook the room and leapt into the air, activating an Active Skill.

This was not part of the beta test.

* * *

Slash.

Strike.

Strife.

Ascend.

Descend.

Fight forward.

Fall back.

Seirin and Blue Moon were collaborating and had been following the same attack patterns, being well on their way to defeating the demon facing them. The other guilds simply hacked at the sides in hopes they would lower its HP, even by a little. But suddenly, the room felt colder. Riko shivered as she pulled her arms closer to her body. Something didn't feel quite right.

Suddenly, the demon went out of its usual attack patterns and leapt into the air as it's axes glowed a fearsome green light.

"It's activating an Active Skill!" Kiyoshi screamed. "Fall back, FALL BACK!"

The two guilds and the extras scurried back, as far as they could be from The Deadbull's reach. Kiyoshi, Kagami, and Hyuuga gathered, away from the beast, to distract it from the others.

But the Boss wasn't interested in the three.

"Kuroko!" the redhead screeched.

The frail healer was lying on his side, looking crumpled and broken, clutching his chest. Kagami couldn't think of why he would be so hurt like that, but he didn't have time to think of reason. Disregarding the magician and knight who cried for him to stop, he raced, pushing his speed skill to it's limit.

It still wasn't enough.

His extended hand would never reach Kuroko.

Kagami gave a last desperate scream before the ax fell.

And suddenly, the entire room was engulfed in a bright, fiery, yet warm red light.

Kagami felt as though air was sucking out of his chest. He gave a yelp as his inventory was forcefully opened and was blinded by the sudden light. He squinted his already narrow eyes, desperately trying to see past the flaming red.

Choruses of audible gasps were heard as a small, grey-black, pointed beaked baby dragon shrieked mercilessly, striking The Deadbull with flames that shot violently out of its mouth with sparks gently falling and dissolving into the air like sugar feathers. With only three vicious bursts of scorching flames, The Deadbull roared in pain one last time before shattering into sparkling hexagonal shards and floating like snow onto the crowd of players.

"CONGRATULATIONS!"

A dead silence that lasted for about five minutes was broken by the sound of Riko's sobbing. Izuki threw his arm around Koganei's shoulder and shrieked cheerfully.

It was over.

The tiny, wriggling dragon that had suddenly hatched in Kagami's inventory flapped it's flimsy wings and clutched onto his master's shoulder, nuzzling his neck. However, the redhead ignored both his new pet and the small screen in front of his him that declared his EXP and item winnings, turning straight to Kuroko, who was now able to at least prop himself up against the wall.

"You have some explaining to do."

* * *

**End of Chapter 2: Creature of Fire**

Notes:

*Vision HP bar would be the HP bar and name in the player's point of view. In Kagami's case, he has hidden all his stats and the only thing shown in public would be his username and HP bar. However, in his point of view, he can see all his stats and levels. If a player parties with one other player, the partner's name and HP bar will appear under his/her own Vision HP in a smaller font. If a player is partying and there are more than three members, the list will condense into a "Guild Members" list under the HP bar. There is a small arrow next to "Guild Members" and by pressing it, the list of members and their HP will appear. Most players collapse the list before a fight so it's easier to keep up with their members' status.

(Let it be known that a person can join one guild max and one Temporary Party max, even at the same time. This is to reduce the number of people jumping into many guilds and to avoid conflict.)

*Cursors appear above a player's head, similar to the ones in Sims. A green one is a normal character, an orange one indicates that the player has harmed another player, therefore being a criminal. A red cursor signifies that the player has killed another character (PKed), and is alienated by other players for being a murderer.

*Bosses have "The" in front of their names. If not a boss, it is usually a title/alias, such as "The Black Swordsman" or "The Iron Heart" and the like.

*MP = Mana Points. Similar to HP (Health Points), but specifically for magic users. It can be replenished with a Mana Potion.

_(AN: Ah, that was a rather boring chapter; I'm sorry. Also, forgive me for such extensive author's notes, but I felt that this needed to be addressed. Pairings. I personally ship AkaKuro or AoKise, and can handle any pairing, but others may not. As of now, I don't plan any intimate relationships with any of the characters, but I'm not sure where exactly anything is going, romance-wise, so I might simply pick out the most popular pairing or something, but that's a very hazy path as of now._

_I'll also add a little info about Kuroko, I guess. More will be explained in the next chapter, but in regards to the crossover…Kuroko is a bit different from Kirito of SAO. (In Sword Art Online, it was a game without the use of magic, but I added it here for more fun~) Kirito, despite being a mysterious, quiet, yet powerful fighter, is flamboyant. His mysterious and mature qualities are what makes him stand out, even if that isn't his intention, whereas Kuroko naturally blends into the background, regardless of his skills or not. Though he might hold a title as a phantom healer or something, people will not recognize him the way people recognize Kirito. Also, Kuroko is more of a magician, so his physical abilities are very low (again, this will be covered next chapter). And one last note: Kuroko and the MiraGuild's relation in the past will come up in chapter 3 and eventually, when they are introduced, they will act a bit differently towards Kuroko than they do in canon, so I apologize if I completely bastardize them._

_That's all. Sorry for the long note and thank you for reading!)_


	3. Pre-Game

**Court of Nex**

_(AN: Wow, so many people are reading! Even if you don't review, favorite, or add the story to the watch, just knowing that people bother clicking on the story titles makes me so happy! Thank you very much!_

_Ah, by the way, some people seem to think I am healingwind herself…? Wow that would be great, to have amazing clean art like her…but nope, I'm not healingwind! Just a fan~ _

_Plus, I forgot to mention that Kuroko's outfit from the previous chapter is basically healingwind's RPG image of him without the fancy scarf or anything. Just the shirt, pants, and boots under it. He has the cross-shaped staff, though. And he wore a dark cloak, but he probably won't be wearing that again. He'll get the rest later._

_Also, one last thing, there are probably a few questions about the RPG universe, since I am horrible at explaining things in-story, so if you have a small question, I'll answer it after the chapter! If I don't answer your question, it means it has something major to do with the plot, so I cannot answer that the moment. I may add a question or two, even if you don't ask it, just to clarify some things._

_Thank you!)_

* * *

**Chapter 3: Pre-Game**

* * *

**Month of Blooming 25, 2078**

**(May)**

**Second Floor, Haesol City**

A selection menu appeared in front of the tiny creature.

"NAME?"

A blank space appeared below.

A few cheers and shouts echoed the room, telling Kagami which names he should choose.

Ignoring them all, he pressed the blank space, and with his finger, he spelled out "T-A-T-S-U-Y-A".

"Ehh? Tatsuya's such a boring name!" Izuki grinned.

"Hey, I have a friend named that!" the redhead snapped back with a smile.

On his Vision HP bar, above the list of guild members he associated with, was the name "Tatsuya" in bright red. The newly-named Tatsuya chirped cheerfully as he flapped his wings around and landed on Kagami's shoulder. He wanted to start getting used to Tatsuya, battle with him, and figure out his stats.

But Kagami had more important manners to deal with.

* * *

"My name is Kuroko," the small bluehaired healer had said. "It's the same name I used in the beta test."

He looked much better than before, propped up against the bed, without his boots and socks. Carrying him to the Second Floor's first town was an easy task, despite the fact that everyone's Strength Skill was still rather low. The other guilds seemed more interested in Tatsuya rather than Kuroko, and in the end, the guilds split off. Seirin headed for an inn while some of the others went back to tell the other players, while a few went to go train and treasure-hunt. Riko ordered Kagami to hold up the fainted player all the way to the inn. Of course, players were not supposed to touch each other as intimately as the way Kagami piggy-back-rode Kuroko, and a Warning appeared on both Kuroko and Kagami's menu. Riko snickered as she held Kuroko's finger (since each individual menu only responded to the player in control of it) and pressed "OK" to signify that it was okay with Kuroko for Kagami to be holding him.

It was suspicious, though.

The game didn't allow anyone to feel physical pain. So the idea that this healer had blacked out after the Boss Fight was strange in itself. Kuroko could tell what Riko was thinking by the look on her face and held up a hand. "I will explain everything."

The healer gently stroke Tatsuya, who was curled up in his lap, chirping pleasantly.

"My name is Kuroko," he repeated slowly. "I was a beta-tester."

"Originally, the beta was supposed to last for only a month. However, due to the game's complex nature and the amount of features it had, it was extended into about three months. During that time, I was in a guild. It was lucky for me because I didn't know what I was doing, which was why I ended up being a Cleric who was weak as an individual. The guild consisted of my close friends who went to my middle school and later, when they moved, we kept in touch via videochatting. We were all invited to the beta, which was amazing because we could interact with each other without the boundaries that videochatting had. We took the game seriously, but we really had fun. The first month and a half consisted of us just messing around and having a good time. Despite the fact that we weren't really trying as hard as we possibly could've in the game, we were the top guild out of the beta players, hailed as the MiraGuild, the Guild of Miracles."

"Guild of Miracles?" Riko snorted. "What a flashy name."

"Yes, I agree. Many of us didn't want that sort of title, but our leader didn't really care," Kuroko said in a soft voice. "So in the end, we became the MiraGuild. We earned this title after we beat 10 levels in three days. With that, the beta players became more competitive. Another guild, the Crownless Generals, were constantly after our necks. Individually, they were quite nice people, though that's just my opinion."

He tapped his chin thoughtfully, "It would've been great if we could collaborate. Anyway, I entered the game as Kuroko, the same name I used in the beta, and played with my friends until the beta ended. It's not that big of a deal-"

"It must be," Kagami interrupted. "Before, you said you were hiding from someone."

Kuroko stared at Kagami as though he was impressed the redhead bothered to remember anything he said. "I was talking about the players who hated beta-testers," he lied smoothly.

"Ah, but how'd you get that staff? It looks high-level…I mean, once the beta ends, your stats and character is deleted, reduced back to the first level and First Floor," Hyuuga frowned, crossing his arms.

"Ah, well…not many know this, but each beta-player was allowed one Unique Skill and one Weapon for them to transfer to the game after the beta. I chose my staff and a Unique Skill I earned on my tenth level," he pointed to the tall cross-shaped staff that lay on the corner of the room. "Many players forgot that they gained the item or skill that they chose to transfer here when they were very high in level, so I assume that much of the beta-testers cannot use their skill or item. However, my Unique Skill appeared to me when I started the game. The staff, however, cannot be used yet. The most I can do is swing it around, but I can't use any of its magical properties.

"Of course, there always has to be a price. Players who choose to transfer a Skill or weapon to the official gameplay has to feel pain. The game disables any actual pain and if a player is injured, the injured area just feels dull, uncomfortable, and fuzzy. However, since I have transferred a Skill and weapon, I have to feel pain. It was definitely worth it, though.

The guild glanced at each other suspiciously. It didn't seem like they were getting the full story. But they knew better than to intrude

"Well it definitely doesn't seem like you're lying…and they all do sound like logical explanations for your behavior," Kiyoshi broke the silence. "But what do you plan to do now?"

"Well firstly, the MiraGuild are probably going to go for the top. Because of bad experiences in the beta, the guild will never regroup ever again. That I am positive of…However, defeating each of them individually will be no easy task, especially if they pick the same class…no, they'll be stronger now, since they know all the tricks and traps of the game. Therefore, one or two of them will be the first to get out, leaving the rest of us stranded here," blue eyes that looked somewhat sorrowful before were burning with intensity. Kagami could practically see the gears in his head turning.

"While I wish not to PK them, they have to be stopped. They sound like a selfish bunch…thinking only of themselves and their escape, they will not realize the impact of their actions because to them, the rest of the players are all just strangers. Simple psychology and very human, actually," the knight sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Exactly," the healer nodded. "I'm sorry to say that my mistake has pretty much cost everyone else's chance of escape…I should've stopped them before their attitudes got out of hand. While I can certainly understand that they became rather big-headed after reaching Floor 57, there's still a problem with that…"

"Uh…" Riko gulped. "Exactly how much of an asshole are the members?"

"Well their ego certainly matches their skills," he replied simply.

"Wait, so what're we gonna do?!" Koganei spoke up, panicking, "They'll level up quickly and leave us in the dust!"

The healer crossed his legs on the bed as Tatsuya shifted to his thigh and looked up at him curiously.

"It's rather selfish of me to ask of this, especially after all the trouble I've caused thus far, but I have a request."

Riko crossed her arms. "Shoot."

"Please let me join your guild."

Tatsuya whimpered and crawled under the covers as the guild burst into exclamations of "what" and "why". Kuroko grimaced, "You see…I do have a plan to get everyone…every player here, out of this game. That includes overcoming the MiraGuild. It's a bit ridiculous, but it's worth a shot. It should be easier because I know what they are capable of…however, I am weak alone. I'm a shadow."

Mitobe, who was silently watching, raised a brow in curiosity. Taking notice of his questioning glance, Kuroko continued. "The stronger the player I support, the stronger I can be. If the players I party with are strong, my Passive Skill, which allows me to regain my HP and MP at a faster rate than normal players, I will be able to support them. The stronger the light, the stronger the shadow. Therefore, I wish to join your guild."

* * *

**Month of Solaria 25, 2078**

** (June)**

** Fifteenth Floor, Xenri City**

"Hey, idiot duo, the boys and I are headed back to town. I hear there's some sort of cheesecake sale and I sure as hell am not missing that!" the brunette called to Kagami and Kuroko.

The two frowned at the name they were called as while Tatsuya chirped happily and nestled on Kagami's head.

"Take a break from training, you two!" Hyuuga advised as Seirin cleared out, leaving the two in the monster pit for dinner.

"Yes, sir!" Kuroko called out. He gripped his staff and slammed it onto the ground before leaning against it and sighing. "Hey, Kagami. What level are you on now?"

"Somethin' in the thirties," the redhead groaned. "It's been easier to get past the first few floors as of late since we leveled up so much back on the First Floor, but…"

"Yeah, I get'cha…" he slid down into the grass and closed his eyes.

It had been officially an entire month since he had joined Seirin and decided to continue with his plan, instead of going half-way through and cutting it off. Of course, thanks to the situation, he had to change bits of it, but the objective was the same. Seirin, as he had predicted, was very fast at leveling up. They were a dedicated bunch who all coordinated together in perfect synchrony. Of course, there were guilds that were much higher in ran than Seirin, so they really had to catch up. The frontlines were on Floor Twenty at the current moment, which left the group exactly five Floors away from them. Despite the fact that they weren't as far ahead as he had hoped, Kuroko had no regrets in joining Seirin. They truly enjoyed themselves, despite the situation they were forced in, and continued to enjoy themselves, even as they strove for the top. It was nostalgic.

"Ah, this was definitely the right idea…" he sighed to himself as he dusted off the dirt on his clothes and stood back up. "Let's head back too, Kagami. I'm rather tired."

He pulled his staff out of the ground and looked around.

"Kagami?"

The redheaded lance user, nor his Dragon, was nowhere in sight. He scanned the area nervously. Nothing.

The grass behind him rustled. Kuroko was getting scared now. Because he had raised his Detection Skill to be very high, he could normally tell what monsters were around the area, but whatever was there, its stats weren't showing.

This meant only one thing: the creature was of a higher level than his Detection Skill could handle.

The Cleric gripped his staff. What kind of fearsome creature could be beyond the forest of grass? Just as he was ready to shout and make a run for it, it leapt out.

"KUROKOCCCHIIIII~!"

* * *

_(AN: I'm so sorry the chapter was so short and that the Q&A is so long. I'll try harder next time. I'm actually very disappointed in myself. I do know where I want to go with this story, but I'm not quite sure how to word it all…)_

_Q: "Is Kagami a Dragonslayer?"_

_A: His official title would be a Dragoon, but I also refer to him as a Beast Tamer._

_Q: "You mentioned Kagami was a dragoon on the website. Is he the only one since no one else has this dragon or are there still other dragons, just this one is rarer than others?"_

_A: Kagami's situation with Tatsuya is a bit different. Normally, anyone who has a Dragon as a pet is usually an extremely skilled Tamer who was able to find a Dragon (which is an extremely rare creature) and tame it. It usually takes them a long time to get it to cooperate with its master because Dragons are very stubborn and powerful. And majority of the time, Tamers who are lucky enough to encounter the wild beast during their travels, the Dragon is an adult, which makes it even harder to tame. Baby Dragons are weaker than adults, you see. Tatsuya, however, was born under Kagami's care, so Tatsuya is obedient, and rather than being treated like a pet, he is treated like a friend, so he is much nicer than a wild one. Plus, he was born into ownership, so he's one-of-a-kind. Tatsuya as more attributes than a usual Dragon, but they're very weak since he's a baby, so it's barely any help to Kagami. The only reason he had that sudden burst of power that was able to kill off The Deadbull was because he had just hatched and even if Kagami weren't fighting a Boss, Tatsuya still would've given off that powerful flame and attacked whatever was in his way. When baby Dragons hatch, they're crazy active for a short time and then they burn out afterwards. The only way for them to regain that kind of firepower is for them to level up._

_TL;DR: There are other dragons, but Tatsuya is rarer and much more special._

_Q: Why does Kuroko feel pain when healing someone?_

_A: I think I explained this somewhere or maybe it's in the links, but every time Kuroko heals someone, he takes the damage. So rather than healing, it's more like he transfers the damage to himself. As a Cleric, he has an automatic Passive Skill that allows his HP to regenerate at a faster speed than other magic or battle users, so it's more effective. _

_Q: Will you have x pairing?_

_A: I don't mind implications of any pairings, to be honest, but I want them to feel natural when I write them, so some pairings may be implied more than others._

_Q: How do players decide what they want to be?_

_A: Do you mean like, Wizard, Paladin, Beast Tamer, etc? Before the game begins, you have to write a username and password. After that, you can choose between magic or battle. From there, people can branch off into Wizard, Stratigest, Cleric, etc in the magic section and Paladin, Swordsman, etc in the battle section. Some people can use magic with battle and battle with magic, but whichever side you choose first will be the dominant one. For an example, Kise is a battle-user as a Twin Swordsman, but he also uses a little magic – Perfect Copy._

_Q: "Does Kuroko have big mana points?"_

_A: Yep! Kuroko initially chose to be a magic-user, and he chose one of the strongest classes of a magic-user, a Cleric, thus having a high MP stat. The downside of being one of the higher magic-classes is that it's virtually impossible to use battle skills because you aren't programmed to be physically adept for that kind of situation, so he's very weak._


End file.
